The global burden of mental and substance use disorders among adolescents and young adults - PubMed
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- Mental and substance use disorders (SUDs) are major public health issues among adolescents and young adults (AYAs).
- Global prevalence in 2021: 15.2% (adolescents) and 16.1% (young adults) for mental disorders, with anxiety disorders being most common.
- Mental disorders were the leading cause of disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) and years lived with disability (YLDs) in 2021.
- High-income regions reported the highest rates of mental disorders.
- Sex differences observed: males had higher rates of ADHD and autism; females had higher rates of anorexia nervosa.
- SUDs ranked 15th (YLDs) and 22nd (DALYs) for adolescents, and 8th (YLDs) and 11th (DALYs) for young adults.
- During the pandemic, mental disorder prevalence rose, while SUDs declined.
- DALYs for mental disorders increased significantly during the pandemic, especially for depression and anxiety, with higher impact on females.
- Urgent need for age-specific, sex-responsive, and regionally tailored mental health strategies.